Rwanda: in Brief
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Rwanda: In Brief Alexis Arieff Specialist in African Affairs Updated May 14, 2019 Congressional Research Service 7-.... www.crs.gov R44402 Rwanda: In Brief Summary Rwanda, a small landlocked country in central Africa’s Great Lakes region, has seen rapid development and security gains since about 800,000 people—mostly members of the ethnic Tutsi minority—were killed in the 1994 genocide. The ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) ended the genocide by seizing power in mid-1994 and has been the dominant force in Rwandan politics ever since. The Rwandan government has won donor plaudits for its efforts to improve health, boost agricultural output, encourage foreign investment, and promote women’s empowerment. Yet, analysts debate whether Rwanda’s authoritarian political system—and periodic support for rebel groups in neighboring countries—could jeopardize the country’s stability in the long-run, or undermine the case for donor support. President Paul Kagame, in office since 2000, won reelection to another seven-year term in 2017 with nearly 99% of the vote, after the adoption of a new constitution that effectively exempted him from term limits through 2034. Kagame’s overwhelming margin of victory may reflect popular support for his efforts to stabilize and transform Rwandan society, as well as a political system that involves constraints on opposition activity and close government scrutiny of citizen behavior. In response to external criticism, Kagame has generally denied specific allegations of abusing human rights while asserting that restrictions on civil and political rights are necessary to prevent the return of ethnic violence. The United States and Rwanda have cultivated close ties since the mid-1990s, underpinned by U.S. development aid and support for Rwanda’s robust participation in international peacekeeping. Congress has helped shape U.S. engagement through its appropriation of foreign aid and other legislative initiatives, along with oversight and direct Member outreach to Rwandan officials. Over the past decade, successive Administrations and Congress have continued to support U.S. partnership with Rwanda on development and peacekeeping, while criticizing the government’s human rights record and periodic role in regional conflicts. Congress has notably enacted provisions in aid appropriations legislation restricting U.S. military aid to Rwanda if it is found to be supporting rebel groups in neighboring countries. The Obama Administration temporarily applied such restrictions, along with others pursuant to separate child soldiers legislation, citing Rwandan support for rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Burundi. There have been fewer reports of Rwandan support for rebel groups in recent years. After meeting with President Kagame in early 2018, President Trump expressed appreciation for U.S.-Rwandan economic ties, Rwanda’s contributions to peacekeeping, and Kagame’s pursuit of African Union institutional reforms. In line with the Administration’s proposals to decrease foreign aid worldwide, its FY2020 budget request would provide $117 million in bilateral aid to Rwanda, a 28% decrease from FY2018 levels. U.S. peacekeeping-related military assistance for Rwanda has drawn on regionally- and centrally-managed funds, and is not reflected in these totals. The Administration has also suspended Rwanda’s eligibility for trade benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA, reauthorized under P.L. 114-27), in response to alleged market barriers to U.S. exports of used clothing. Congressional Research Service Rwanda: In Brief Contents Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Politics ............................................................................................................................................. 4 Human Rights .................................................................................................................................. 5 Regional Security ............................................................................................................................ 6 The Economy and Development ..................................................................................................... 7 U.S. Relations and Aid .................................................................................................................... 8 Legislative Restrictions on Security Assistance ...................................................................... 10 Issues for Congress and Outlook ................................................................................................... 12 Figures Figure 1. Rwanda at a Glance .......................................................................................................... 2 Tables Table 1. U.S. Bilateral Aid to Rwanda, Selected Accounts (State + USAID) ............................... 10 Contacts Author Contact Information .......................................................................................................... 12 Congressional Research Service Rwanda: In Brief Introduction Rwanda has achieved a rare degree of political stability, public safety, and economic growth in a sub-region plagued by armed conflicts and humanitarian crises. Government programs to improve health, agricultural output, private investment, and gender equality have received international plaudits and donor support. Rwanda’s development and security gains are particularly remarkable in the wake of the 1994 genocide, in which extremist members of the ethnic Hutu majority orchestrated a three-month killing spree targeting the minority Tutsi community, along with members of the tiny indigenous Twa ethnic group and Hutus who opposed the massacres. The ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) seized power in mid-1994, stopping the genocide. Since then, President Paul Kagame has been widely viewed as the architect of Rwanda’s development “miracle” and of its autocratic political model.1 He has repeatedly won reelection by wide margins, most recently in 2017 (see “Politics”). The United States and Rwanda have cultivated close ties since the mid-1990s, underpinned by U.S. aid in support of Rwanda’s ambitious socioeconomic development initiatives and participation in international peacekeeping. Over the past decade, U.S. officials and some Members of Congress have continued to promote U.S.-Rwanda partnership on shared objectives, while voicing concerns regarding Rwanda’s authoritarian political system and its periodic support for rebel groups in neighboring countries. Congress has held multiple hearings examining these and related issues,2 and has enacted restrictions on aid to Rwanda if it is found to be supporting rebel groups (see “U.S. Relations and Aid”). In late 2017, then Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Donald Yamamoto testified to Congress that U.S.-Rwandan relations were “close but complex,” acknowledging democracy shortfalls and human rights concerns.3 President Trump met with President Kagame at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2018, and expressed appreciation for bilateral economic ties, Rwanda’s contributions to peacekeeping operations, and Kagame’s pursuit of African Union (AU) institutional reforms as then-chairman of the institution. In line with the Administration’s broad proposals to decrease foreign aid worldwide, it has advocated cuts to funding for Rwanda, including health and development aid. In 2018, President Trump also suspended Rwanda’s trade benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA, reauthorized via P.L. 114-27) in response to Rwanda’s allegedly protectionist policies, in the context of the Administration’s skepticism toward nonreciprocal trade preference programs.4 International perspectives on Rwanda tend to be polarized. Kagame’s supporters assert that he is a visionary and that Rwanda represents an extraordinary post-conflict success story.5 To some, Rwandan voters’ support for Kagame is easily explained: “he has kept them from killing each other ... [and] has also given them a sense of hope and pride.”6 Others argue that restrictions on 1 See, e.g., Julian Hattem, “Kagame seems set to win again in Rwanda. But is he a ‘miracle man’ or a nascent dictator?” Washington Post, August 2, 2017; The Economist, “Paul Kagame, Feted and Feared,” July 15, 2017. 2 Most recently: House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations (“HFAC Africa Subcommittee”), “Rwanda: Democracy Thwarted,” September 27, 2017; Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC), “U.S. Policy in Central Africa: The Imperative of Good Governance,” February 10, 2016; HFAC Africa Subcommittee, “Africa’s Great Lakes Region: A Security, Political, and Humanitarian Challenge,” October 22, 2015; HFAC Africa Subcommittee, “Developments in Rwanda,” May 20, 2015. 3 Written statement to the HFAC Africa Subcommittee, “Rwanda: Democracy Thwarted,” September 27, 2017. 4 See CRS In Focus IF10149, African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), by Brock R. Williams. 5 Andy Kristian Agaba, “The case for Kagame’s third term in Rwanda,” Washington Post, August 3, 2017. 6 Stephen Kinzer, “Rwanda and the Dangers of Democracy,” Boston Globe, July 22, 2017. Congressional Research Service 1 Rwanda: In Brief political and civil rights may ultimately undermine Rwanda’s hard-won stability, and that limits on civil liberties may mask ethnic,